The Best Person for the Job
by Stephy-Lou Clark-Weasley
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin has a favour to ask Emma and she's trying desparately to get out of it. she knew she should have listened to her mother when she preached to get out more.


"I'm sorry but you want me to do _what?_"

"Do not make me repeat myself, Your Highness."

"Miss Swan," Emma corrected still unable to get used to her royal title, "or better yet considering what you are asking of me, Emma."

"Emma," Rumpelstiltskin repeated, "very well, _Emma_, I need you to do this one small thing for me and I am more than willing to call in my favour from you."

"Nah I'm sure you have more important things that I am to moral to do in the future," Emma said. She had been required to do a lot as 'saviour' that went against the few morals she had much to her parents' irritation who were both far more moral she was. But hey she grew up on the streets of Boston practically and understood that nothing came without a price and it was a dog eat dog world which was probably why she never agreed with anyone on their opinions of Rumpelstiltskin. She didn't like him that much but she couldn't hate him either, the manipulative bastard. "Besides I'm rather honoured that you asked me but are you sure? There are other people out there you're closer to."

"Name one," Rumpelstiltskin growled.

"Well...err...you get on rather well with Arch- I mean Jiminy," Emma quickly corrected herself. She still couldn't get used to everyone else's new names, well all right old names.

"The cricket likes everyone, he has no ability to hate anyone," Rumpelstiltskin growled, "besides he's too small to do much good."

"Don't be sizest," Emma chided him, "And then there's my parents, you get on well with them."

"Dearie there is nothing more that your father desires than putting his sword into my stomach," Rumpelstiltskin said somewhat amused, "your mother however has already agreed to another duty and therefore cannot help me."

"Well then, what about Jefferson? You've gotten on well with him," Emma suggested brightly.

"He's insane, more so than me, I need someone trustworthy, I do not need to wake up in Wonderland."

"Henry?"

"You're willing to let your son do something like this?"

"Fair point, what about Rub- I mean Red? She likes you."

"Barely."

"Le- I mean Grumpy?"

"He'll want to bring that fairy with him."

"August?"

"No I still want to murder him."

"Well then how about...erm...ah...oh _damn_!"

"Is that a yes then?"

Emma would love nothing more than to punch that smug smirk on Rumpelstiltskin's face. If it wasn't for Belle who she actually liked she probably would and get congratulated by her father (who she was still on awkward terms with). She momentarily wondered how she ended up having this sort of relationship with Rumpelstiltskin who was not the nicest guy around.

She had always been closed off and kept herself mostly to just Henry and Mary- err her mother. Ruby, Archie, Leroy, and Grahame had been the few friends she definitely had. Granny by association and later on David (now her father) and Jefferson, August, Henry's friends (apparently Hansel and Gretel), and Ashley and Sean had all sort of befriended her but they weren't really close.

Mr Gold was an annoyance but a great help in her battle against Regina and now that alliance with the help of Belle (who was so nice that Emma couldn't help but be friends with her) had turned into a friendship.

Damn she knew she should have listened to Mary Margret when she told her to open herself up more. If she had more friends she might not be in this damn weird position.

"It's a yes," she said grudgingly.

"Excellent," Rumpelstiltskin said before handing her a list, "Belle wrote a list of guidelines, no women of the night, that sort of thing, she wants me to actually be there on the day."

Emma sighed as she took the list, she read through it quickly with her eyebrows jumping up in the air at each guideline Belle written in her beautiful calligraphy. Honestly Emma's handwriting looked like one of a peasant compared to Belle's. "She's certainly making sure you won't have the chance to run, isn't she?"

"She knows me too well," Rumpelstiltskin moaned in agreement.

"Are you saying you would run?"

"Are you saying if you were in my position you wouldn't run?"

"Fair enough," Emma folded up the paper and slid it into her pocket, "I will phone you with some arrangements for the night before."

"Very well, I bid you farewell Princess," Rumpelstiltskin nodded his head respectfully.

"_Emma_," she corrected him.

"Emma," he repeated before leaving.

Just as he was about to leave she shouted after him, "Oh! And congratulations!"

"What did Rumpelstiltskin want, Emma dear?" Ma- _Snow White_ asked when Emma returned to the kitchen. Henry and Dav- _James_ were already greedily drinking their hot chocolates that Snow made them all for a nightcap.

Emma accepted hers with gratefulness and took a deep gulp of the warm sweet drink before she answered, "He's getting married and he wants me to be the Best Man."

James and Henry immediately choked and spat out their hot chocolate.


End file.
